The Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Dubois Réti Defense reaches a named position after 4 moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4
In practical games, this line matters because the early pawn and piece choices decide which middlegame plans are natural. Use the board above to learn the move order, then complete Practice without hints before adding the opening to your regular queue.
If this exact branch does not appear in your games, study the related lines below. Openings often transpose, and recognizing the family pattern is more useful than memorizing one narrow sequence.
The idea behind this line
White opens the center immediately with d4 and asks Black to solve development problems early.
What to look for
- Attack the d4 knight with ...Nf6.
- Develop with tempo when White's queen moves early.
- Use ...d5 to complete central equality.
Position details
The defining move is exd4.
r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/8/2BpP3/5N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 0 5